Showing results for "syncopated"

• past participle of syncopate.
• past tense form of syncopate.

syncopated

American  

[sing-kuh-pey-tid, sin-] / ˈsɪŋ kəˌpeɪ tɪd, ˈsɪn- /

adjective

1. marked by syncopation.

   syncopated rhythm.

2. cut short; abbreviated.

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Other Word Forms

• unsyncopated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of syncopated

1655–65; < Late Latin syncopāt ( us ) ( see syncopate) + -ed ²

Explanation

In music, rhythms or beats that are unexpected or sound "off" in an interesting way are syncopated. Typically, a syncopated beat puts the stress where it wouldn't usually be. When your ear is expecting a weak beat and instead hears a strong or stressed one, it's syncopated. This adjective can also describe rhythms that are uneven or that disturb the flow of music and take it in a different direction. As a verb, syncopate means to make music with this kind of rhythm and also to "shorten words by omitting syllables," from the Greek root synkope, "contraction of a word."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

syncopated

The production features a fusion of reggaeton drum patterns and syncopated kicks with the Middle Eastern darbuka, as well as violins, which softly emanate a minor microtonal scale in the background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

And the clattering syncopated loop that repeats through “Oblivion” is there mostly as a contrast to the wispy and diaphanous vocals, which are so thin and leavened with reverb that they threaten to float away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

In court, Sheeran's team accepted that the two songs share a similar syncopated chord pattern.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025

Each one’s momentary glow pulses alive and fades in syncopated rhythm with the drowsy croaks of bullfrogs.

From Salon ● May 10, 2024

The Dancing Fan was still dancing, its rubber feet beating out the same syncopated Persian rhythm I’d been listening to all night, but that wasn’t what woke me.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram